Parker and Others Spark WNBA

By Richard Diaz
Love of Sports Correspondent

There was a game this past weekend most of you probably missed.

Sadly, it was a tremendous season opener the average sports fan simply didn’t care to watch. It was a game that marked the beginning of an era and one I watched in awe from tipoff to the final buzzer, because I knew I was watching the first professional game of an athlete who’s poised to be the best her game has ever seen.

I’d bet some people still don’t have a clue as to what game I’m talking about, which goes to show you how biased the sports world really is. While ESPN was busy covering the politically correct version of dog-fighting, the WNBA was kicking off its season on ABC.

While Hank Goldberg was mumbling his way through horse projections, Candace Parker was in the midst of starting her WNBA career in a fashion no player before her ever has.

You see, for all the time wasted on Big Brown, it’s sad that an equal amount of time wasn’t invested in the WNBA.

In her first regular season game, Parker scored 34 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out eight assists, en route to leading her team to a 99-94 victory over the defending champion Phoenix Mercury.

Even though this was her first WNBA game, Parker couldn’t have looked anymore at home than she did in the fourth quarter. With the game knotted at 79-79, she took over, scoring 10 straight points, ultimately giving her team a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

To put her performance into perspective, Parker’s near triple-double would’ve made her only the second player in professional basketball history to put up a triple-double in their first career game. The lone person in that category right now is a guy named Oscar Robertson.

Now, for as much as this is coming off as an ode to Candace Parker, that’s not where I’m going. Even though she has the potential to revolutionize a sport people are missing out on for no logical reason, I think it’s prudent to point out that a lot of new blood came into the league this year that certainly merits attention.

For instance, Big Sylvia Fowles held her own on the next level, finishing her Chicago Sky debut with six points, seven rebounds and a steal. Also impressive were Matee Ajavon, Erica White and Alexis Hornbuckle, each of whom looked pretty good in their debuts.

Those are but a few of the names that are the future of the league, and I for one am giving up a major helping of love for each and every one of them.

Odds are you’ve seen the ad campaign for the WNBA and ignored it. Odds are you’ve never watched a WNBA game for the very reason that is mocked in those commercials. I realize the WNBA is stereotypically associated with a boring outside game that lacks the speed and intensity of the NBA.

However, just as I realize that, I also know how naïve and wrong that is.

This incoming crop of rookies will inject some intensity into a sport that, while not lacking it before them, really needs it to make an impact on the mainstream level.

I’d suggest taking a bit of time to watch a WNBA game if you haven’t done so already. I know a typical Saturday day of television is filled with the excitement of bass fishing or the PBA, but still, I don’t think you’ll miss much there if you take a little time to watch a legitimate sport.

Once the NHL and NBA conclude their second seasons, there’s nothing but MLB, and I’m positive there’s room for watching both sports.

So, here’s to giving up some big time love for the women of the WNBA.

(The Love of Sports has teamed with Charity Water to bring fresh water to those who need it most. For just $20, you can give the gift of life to one person for 20 years. Spread the love. Donate Now!)